First Nations Drum Newspaper

Bee in the Bonnet: Have You Had Your Stress Today?

Christmas! Better known in my household as ‘holy crap!’ Don’t get me wrong I’m just as greedy as the next person, I too, love to get better than give. I love to open presents but, just as equally, hate to shop. What to buy, can I get it at a better price and how much are they going to spend on me? “Bah humbug, I prefer new years.”

As in most households, my budget got a kick in the teeth this year. Money is tighter than a tick’s ass, business is down and the only thing going up is my personal debt. It’s all enough to make a person want to scream and throw a fit or a brick. Yet, at the same time, the fortunate 500 are relaxing in their gilded glass towers, because they’re getting bailed out with our hard earned tax dollars. “SONOFABITCH!” Do you still have that brick handy?

Oil companies, insurance giants and even the generals of the massive auto industries are sucking around, threatening us with their bankruptcies. I say, if they can’t run their businesses efficiently, screw them. And the part that gets to me about these companies is, not all that long ago, they where bragging: “We’re proud to report that we’ve had record profits in this last quarter.” Well? Where in the hell are these billions and billions in profits? Now, they have the testis to ask us to dig deep into our pockets and give them our last quarters.

And they’re not the only ones with their hands out at this time of the year. Every charity under the sun is standing on every street corner, on every channel and phoning with their tails of woe: “Please, help us help. Give till it hurts.” Well, I for one am hurting and I don’t see anyone on the horizon coming to my rescue. After awhile, even the most charitable of souls gets a bit overwhelmed and irrigated at charities showing us yet another pitiful child with sad eyes and flies. Not to mention the lazy bums with hats in hand and addicted criminals cashing in at the food banks – all of them pleading for your pity and petty change. Maybe I too, should stop working, start drinking and go on welfare. “Buddy, can ya spare a dime?”

Have you ever asked yourself what would happen if they didn’t receive our contributed coins? What would they do? What could they do? Who knows; maybe they’d consider condoms? Maybe even get off their ass and get a job? Maybe start taking responsibility, instead of taking drugs?

Do you know how much of your charitable contribution goes to those in need and how much goes to employing those in charge of the charity? In some cases, reportedly, as high as eighty percent of your donations goes into wages, advertisements and the collection of your money. Here’s a crazy idea: Why not employ the recipients of these charities to run the charities themselves? But, that’ll never happen and here’s why – why would a charity teach their poor unfortunate charges to fish when they can charge you to pay for sushi?

If you’re a person of religion please don’t read the next part of this rant it’ll just upset you – thank you. The largest, richest entities on the planet are religious organizations. They build massive cathedrals with the finest marble alters and golden statues of their particular gods adorning polished pedestals, yet they have the nerve to ask us sinners to feed their poor box? And this is the part that gets to me, being a person of Native heritage, these holy high rollers stole a culture, imprisoned children and cut our hair, yet, I’m the one who gets persecuted for being tax exempt. Personally, I’m sick of turning the other cheek, in fact they can kiss my other cheek. I told you it you it would upset thou. The new year is here and with it comes the tab for Christmas’s spending spree. The bill has come due for our lifestyles and the next few years are going to test our mental metal. I can envision some marriages coming apart at the purse strings, family homes being be lost, cars repossessed and even the well healed will be knocking on the door of the local pawn shop.

Remember, charity starts at home, so give till it hurts. Happy new year?